Networking can unlock board career opportunities – get yours in order

Your unique combination of business, professional, and personal contacts is a valuable asset that you should leverage to unlock board career opportunities. However, one of the most common things I hear from those considering a board appointment is that they don’t have a board network or the right connections.

Not feeling confident about your network is a good reason to be concerned about your prospects of obtaining a board seat. In fact, networking is the most effective way to secure a board appointment. This is regardless of where you are located or what type of board role you seek.

The good news is that board networking doesn’t have to be daunting. What is often the case, whilst aspiring board directors have a solid base to build a board network, their current connections are stale, shallow, and lack diversity. Now is the time to take on this challenge to develop and nurture a network that can unlock board opportunities.

How to get your contacts list in order

The task can be less daunting by breaking it down into more manageable steps.

Step 1 – Update & consolidate your current contact list

Start with a simple list of who you know

Begin by listing all of your current and past business and professional connections. These are people you currently or used to work with, people you have done business with, people from professional organizations you are part of, plus current or past board and committee members you served with.

Next, focus on friends or more personal connections. These connections may be through community activities and organizations, university or school alumni, your kids’ school, sports, and other social activities. The key here is not to limit yourself to just close personal connections, as the more removed connections are more likely to lead to board opportunities.

Collect and compile your list and contact information in one place

Start a blank spreadsheet to add these contacts. Include their contact details, email, phone number, and LinkedIn address. You may need to find or confirm these details using Google, LinkedIn, or tools like ContactOut. Even at this early stage, I recommend adding notes on the context of the relationship, as well as common organizations, interests, and contacts. This information will later prove vital in the following tasks and when connecting or reconnecting with them. Next, think about any other contact lists you previously established or have access to, and add them and their details to the spreadsheet.

Qualify your Contact List

Once collated, grade each contact based on the ‘quality and depth’ of your relationship. A simple “A, B, C” grading will suffice. An “A” contact is someone you feel is a strong advocate or champion of yours – someone who, without hesitation, will have positive things to say about you. At the other end of the scale, “C” contacts are individuals you do not know very well. Leaving “B” contacts to be those who you know fairly well or even very well, but are not necessarily individuals you’d consider advocates or champions. Finally, go through each contact again, and in the next column, grade them based on the potential value you believe they hold for generating board opportunities. For example, they are in the right circles to hear about board opportunities or so well-connected that they can introduce you to those who do.

Step 2 – Connect with the right approach

Set realistic goals to initiate contact

Regardless of whether those on your list are graded A, B, or C on quality and value, set a clear goal to contact everyone on your list within a reasonable amount of time. 30 days may be a realistic place to start. Set achievable goals, or even micro goals, to ensure it does not become a chore.

Connect, but don’t mention potential board career opportunities

The purpose of this exercise is to build, nurture, and re-evaluate the grades and notes assigned to your contacts. For some contacts, this will be relatively easy. For others whose connection may be new or stale, the task may feel slightly awkward. There are a number of easy ways to start or re-establish a relationship, with LinkedIn being the preferred platform. A simple “I just came across your profile on LinkedIn and realized we weren’t connected” could be a good way to begin.

Once you establish or re-establish a contact within your network, the next step is to maintain ongoing contact. You should also adjust the quality and value ratings in your spreadsheet, plus add new notes.

Keep in mind that the long-term goal of this exercise is to position yourself for potential board career opportunities. This strategy hinges on your ability to seem authentic, particularly in these early stages. To achieve this, ensure your motivation appears genuine. Focus on their interests before yours, align with what they are doing, their challenges, and their needs. This is where those notes you have been adding to your spreadsheet come to fruition.

Step 3 – Nurture and keep in contact

If more than 50% of all board appointments occur via personal connections, the more regularly your board network hears from you, the better your chances of staying on their radar. In doing so, you will remain “front of mind” when a board opportunity arises. Schedule short but regular sessions in your diary to spend on this task. Don’t let your hard work in steps 1 and 2 go to waste by letting your list go stale.

At times, you may need to manufacture a reason to reach out or stay in touch. There are numerous ways to do so, with some examples:

• Send birthday or greeting cards.
• Make personal introductions.
• Forward the details of a work or business opportunity.
• Invite them to executive networking or social events.
• Forward interesting but relevant articles you have read.
• Share a new online resource, tool, app, or website.
• Congratulating them on an achievement or anniversary.

Step 4 – Use LinkedIn regularly

LinkedIn is the best tool for connecting with and staying connected with your board network. Most of us use it regularly to maintain our executive or social networks, but we ignore our board network. Many are simply not using the platform to its full potential. By following individuals, businesses, and industry groups, you can collect compelling conversation starters and reasons to do so. My tip here is not just to follow or lurk; make sure to participate by posting, sharing, commenting, and messaging to boost your profile and ensure you receive relevant posts in your feed, including job postings.

It is also essential that your LinkedIn profile reflects your board aspirations, governance experience, or board level experience, specialist skills, leadership skills, and transferable skills such as financial acumen. If one of your connections hears of a board opportunity, they will likely review your LinkedIn profile before reaching out to you or recommending you to others.

Step 5 – Do more to reach out

Whilst LinkedIn is the most appropriate resource for making and maintaining your board network, it may not always produce the results you are looking for. Receiving yet another LinkedIn message can sometimes lose its appeal. In such cases, consider a more personal touch, such as making a phone call or sending a personalized email.

In summary

You will be amazed at what board opportunities can be unlocked via a well-maintained network of personal and professional connections. My simple advice is…don’t overthink the task or get overwhelmed; just do it. It all starts by investing some time in developing a board network from a simple contact list, then chipping away at maintaining, nurturing, and taking an interest in these connections. Yes, this approach will most likely take some time before you see the results, but you cannot predict how valuable any one of those connections and their connections may be.

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